Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire

by Brad Stone

Bezos contended that the media business enhanced the appeal and “stickiness” of Amazon Prime, which in turn motivated people to spend more on Amazon. “When we win a Golden Globe, it helps us sell more shoes,” he said on stage at a technology conference in 2016. At least some of his Hollywood employees were dubious of that characterization. They did not consider themselves to be shoe salespeople, although everyone appreciated having the backing of a profitable e-commerce company subsidizing their creative risks. They tracked each show and analyzed how many people watched and then converted from free Prime trial periods or extended their current membership. But there was little evidence of a connection between viewing and purchasing behavior—especially one that justified the enormous outlay on video. Any correlation was also obfuscated by the fact that Prime was growing rapidly on its own. The truth was this: Bezos wanted Amazon to make TV shows and films. He could see that the decades-old way that TV shows and movies were produced and distributed was changing and sought a principal role for Amazon in that future. As in the early days of Alexa, the Go store, and Amazon India, the economic justification might be flimsy today, but opportunities for making money would always present themselves tomorrow.